6 November 2007 -- Constable Douglas Scott, 20, from Brockville, Ont., was shot and killed after responding to a call of an impaired driver in the town at about 11 p.m. It's the second death of a Mountie in northern Canada in a month.
Constable Scott graduated this past spring from the RCMP academy in Regina before being posted north, his family said. "Doug was just 20 years old but already had demonstrated his commitment to the RCMP, to Canada and to the community he willingly served in Nunavut," Chief Supt. Martin Cheliak, commanding officer for V division, said at a news conference in Iqaluit. "With any death in the family like ours it's tragic ... I don't think it's truly sunk in."
Scott's large extended family and many friends gathered Tuesday at his parents' rural home near Lyn, west of Brockville.
Family members said Scott, who would have turned 21 next month, was mature beyond his years. "We always liked to say that when Dougie was 12 he was 20, and when he was 20 he was 30," said his uncle Chris Scott, a staff sergeant with the Kingston police. "When his friends were drinking he was the designated driver. He was popular in school. He was a good student." Another uncle and three second cousins are all Ontario Provincial Police officers.
"He was acutely aware of what he was getting into," Scott said Tuesday. "He was dedicated. He'd been preparing for this for his entire life."
Nicki Yocum, 20, knew Scott from the time they were very young, attending both elementary and high school with him. "He was just so nice," she said. "He always had a smile on his face, everybody loved being around him."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper paid tribute to Scott and said he will be remembered for his courage, bravery and dedication.
"On behalf of Canadians, I extend my sincere sympathy to the family, friends and fellow colleagues of Const. Scott," the prime minister said in a statement.
"We are forever grateful that young men and women like Const. Scott continue to respond to the call of duty, often working under extreme circumstances, and in conditions of great danger."
